We all need a little help (but do we ask?)

Asking for help is not always easy to do. Stephen Noonoo mentions in his Edutopia blog post,  teachers have some of the same reasons as students for not looking for support. ( I know I always want to appear independent and able to operate on my own).  He lists several concrete steps to help new teachers overcome their concerns as well as provides resource suggestions.

PD for PreK-2 Teachers

Looking for free self-paced professional development?  Check out the offerings from PBS here.  There are two options:

Self-Paced Courses: Our traditional 1-4 hour online course option with lessons taken in order to earn a certificate

Learning Paths: A series of short microlearnings (15-30 minutes, skill-based experiences in a range of interactive formats) that can lead to a certificate.

Free ONLINE PD in December

The Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit is a FREE virtual event from December 14-31.

It brings together some of the brightest minds in education to discuss technology,

pedagogy and more.

You’ll get one new inspiring, practical presentation each day for nine days. Videos will

be available until the summit closes on Dec. 31. You can automatically generate a

FREE certificate for professional development credits that's emailed to you for each

video you watch.

This is where I first learned about HyperDocs and much more- the sessions are

less than an hour.

Want to learn more?  Check out Alice Keeler’s blog post here.

Free PD - It's VIRTCON!

A picture is worth 1000 words.  Free professional development. Please
register here.

Will I see you at EDCampNJ?

Looking for inspiring professional development?  And it’s free! Join me at EDCampNJ on Saturday, 11/17 from 8-2:30.  I will be at the New Brunswick High School (but for my friends in South Jersey, there is also a session at the Egg Harbor Township High School). Please see their site here and register today.

Ditch That Textbook Summit- free PD this month

It’s called the Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit from Matt Miller. There are nine video presentations from awesome presenters on topics related to tech and solid teaching and learning. Get your free ticket at: DitchSummit.com.

Last year I didn’t make all of them- but it was the place I really learned about HyperDocs.  I would look through the list and select the ones of interest to you.

HOW IT WORKS: New presentations are released every day from Dec. 15-23. They remain available until Dec. 31 so you can re-watch or catch up on any you’ve missed. They’re pre-recorded, so you can watch them whenever you want until Dec. 31. After that, the summit ends and the videos are unavailable to watch anymore.

FREE PD HOURS: You can get FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDITS for watching the videos. There’s a form to fill out after each presentation, and you’ll get an automatic PD certificate emailed to you.

FREE CHROMEBOOKS: They’re giving away two free Acer Chromebook 15’s, courtesy of Acer Education, the giveaway sponsor. Be sure to join the Chromebook Crash Course session on December 22 to enter the drawing.

Sign up for the digital summit at DitchSummit.com.

The schedule looks like this:

December 15 (Fri) -- Combining Tech and Solid Teaching Effectively (Tanya Avrith and Holly Clark, authors of The Google Infused Classroom)

December 16 (Sat) -- The Science of Happiness (Kim Strobel, happiness coach and educational consultant)

December 17 (Sun) -- Brain-Friendly Learning that Works (Dr. Pooja Agarwal, cognitive scientists and educator)

December 18 (Mon) -- How in the Google Did You Do That? (Eric Curts, Google Certified Trainer and tech blogger)

December 19 (Tue) -- How to Learn from a World of Educators (Sarah Thomas, tech coordinator and uber-connected educator)

December 20 (Wed) -- Plan Smarter, Not Harder with Edu-Protocols (Jon Corippo, interim executive director of CUE)

December 21 (Thur) -- How to Make Learning a Game (Michael Matera, teacher and author of eXPlore Like a PIRATE)

EdCamp NJ- 11/18

Sign up here for a exciting (and free) morning of professional development!  Ed-Camp 2016 will be held at the New Brunswick High School.  I’ve attended for several year and have never been disappointed.  Register by October 1 for the chance to win a ChromeBook!

I know it is early (so file this under August)

Right now I know (some) of us are counting down to the end of school.  Usually, by August, my mind starts to wander back to the classroom.  Maybe that would be the best time to read Matt Miller’s 12 Great Ways to Grow as an Educator this Summer.  I think the summer selfie bingo was an interesting idea and I’m always looking for books to read!  If you are looking for workshops to attend, I’m presenting in South Brunswick Technology and Learning Conference (6/27) and at the NJAET session  Tech Splash (8/1).